


Floating Into Your Arms

by IS_THAT_MOSS



Series: Sanders-Sides Agere!Fics [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Little Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Age Play Little Dark Crativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Age Play Little Logic | Logan Sanders, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst? In this fic? More likely then you think., Author Is Sleep Deprived, Confused Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Dissociation, Gen, Healthy Coping Mechanisms, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Logic | Logan Sanders is Bad at Feelings, Logic | Logan Sanders is Bad at Self-Care, No Sex, No Smut, Non-Sexual Age Play, Oblivious Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Other, Platonic Cuddling, Repression, Sympathetic Sides (Sanders Sides), only in the first bit tho, thats not a tag how is that not a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26041675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IS_THAT_MOSS/pseuds/IS_THAT_MOSS
Summary: Virgil thought it was normal, something everyone went through but just didn't talk about because they all just... understood.Oh boy was he wrong.But, after an incident and some things are brought to light, he finds what he's been missing all along.And he's never letting go.(Virgils POV of the incidents in Cookies, Space, And That One Happy Place. I would consider reading that one first to get a bit more of the details I didn't add here, but it's not necessary!)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Sanders-Sides Agere!Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828243
Comments: 10
Kudos: 141





	Floating Into Your Arms

Virgil had only a small idea of what was going on. 

He was in his room, yeah, and he was aware that he was on his bed. But other than that, he was scattered. 

His mind was in so many different places at once, he felt like a stressed high schoolers computer browser: a million different pages open, at least one movie playing and he has no idea where the music is coming from but he’s just trying to sift through all the bull shit articles and random google searches. 

It doesn’t help that he can’t really feel his body. 

It was like he was floating, just drifting through time like it was nothing. 

He always got like this after a particularly bad week, where he would just lie down in bed, curl up under his mountain of blankets and just float. 

He wanted something, but he didn’t really have the energy to figure out what that something was so he usually did whatever. 

Like right now. He was watching some cartoon and he was slightly aware he was chewing on his hoodie sleeve but he didn’t care. 

When he felt floaty, the thoughts stopped. All of the ‘what if’s and the ‘should’ve’s and fear just melted out of him. It was the only time he could really, truly relax. 

He felt himself drifting off, exhaustion finally taking over. 

It was a split second before sleep hit him that he realized.

_ I wan’ a hug… _

*~~~*

It was after a particularly bad argument with Roman one day that left him in complete hysterics. Roman had insulted him, and while Virgil could handle almost any and all insults hurled at him, this one felt different.

_ Just grow up! _

Why did it make the floaty feeling punch him in the face so fast he could barely shake it off before he was in his room and locking the door?

He had no idea, but that's where he was right now: on his bed, under a mountain of soft lavender blankets and hugging a stuffed black cat Patton had given him. He was shaking and he was full-on sucking on his thumb, but he couldn’t find the energy to care. His limbs were fuzzy and his vision blurry. 

A knock sounded at his door, and Virgil froze.

“Virgil…? I- I just came to apologize.” Roman’s voice came through the door, and Virgil felt panic and confusion well up inside him. He did  _ not _ want Roman to see him crying, that was just more fuel to the fire that he could just not handle right now. 

“If you do not wish to open the door, I understand but- but I want you to know I’m sorry for what I said. I- well to be perfectly honest I don’t really know what I said to upset you- but it’s obvious that our argument upset you greatly so for that I am sorry.” Virgil sat up and wiped his eyes, sniffling. Roman hadn’t walked away from the door yet, and Virgil was having trouble speaking. 

“I know you may want to be alone right now and I understand… but I would just like to know if you are okay,” Roman said through the door, and Virgil felt his heart flutter. He scrambled off the bed, creating a large thumping sound. “Virgil?”

Virgil forgot how to unlock his door for some reason, so he ran to his desk and pulled out a sticker sheet and a small index card to put it on. He liked to color and draw when he was floaty, and Logan came to him quite often with new slang terms. 

Plucking a sticker that had a glittery cat on it that said “ _ you're purrrrfect!” _ and placing it on the card, he shuffled to his door and slid it through the gap underneath. Virgil heard Roman’s feet shift, then the sound of the card being picked up off the floor. 

A small chuckle came through from the other side, and Virgil smiled.

“Patton has been rubbing off on you, hm?” Roman laughed and Virgil let out a small giggle in response. “Well, I shall leave you to brood in peace. I shall see you at dinner, my Creepy Cookie!” And with that, Virgil heard Roman walking away from his door. Virgil was still floaty, so he crept back to his bed and snuggled underneath the covers, putting on Ruby Gloom and drifting happily. 

He really could have used some Patton cuddles, but for now, not knowing how to unlock his door, sitting in his room…

Alone…

It was fine.

I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶e̶

*~~~*

Virgil and Roman were sitting on a couch watching some cartoon. Virgil had been on the edge of floating for a while, and when he mentioned his exhaustion and bad mood to Patton he was sent to the couch to relax while the father figure made cookies. Roman had joined him and Virgil wanted to lean into him, but he didn’t know how that would be taken so he didn’t. 

What surprised him was when Logan came down the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the tv. Virgil watched as emotions danced across Logan's face, his eyes widening and becoming soft. 

“Logan?” Virgil watched as Logan's normal demeanor reappeared as he looked towards Patton, who had entered with a plate of cookies. “I was just about to come up and get you, is something wrong?”

Virgil raised his eyebrow at the small wave of panic that rolled through Logan.  _ Shit- something happened- _

“No, I just came down to get some coffee and got momentarily distracted.” He said, adjusting his glasses. Virgil studied him as the conversation went along, and noticed it took him a bit longer to come to a conclusion to Paton’s question about dinner. 

Trying to think about it made his head hurt, so he decided Logan must have been feeling floaty like Virgil and wanted alone time. 

Made sense, really. He was the most stressed out of all of them. 

Patton passed around the cookies to Virgil and Roman, and Virgil felt warm when Patton cuddled up against him. 

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, relaxing into Patton and Roman and nearly melting when he felt hands brush through his hair.

This… this is almost what he wanted.

What was missing?

*~~~*

The past couple of weeks had been an absolute shit show. For a week after Logan had informed them of a new experiment he was conducting, his mood had improved substantially. He was calmer and nicer, in his own Logan-y way. Then, out of nowhere, he did a whole 180. 

He was suddenly constantly frustrated, snapping at anyone who even commented on it. He would glare off into space and would fume at small things. 

Virgil noticed once, when he dropped a cup, that his lips quivered and his eyes got glossy for a split second before he shook it off and started cursing. 

When Virgil confronted him about it, he was not expecting the reaction he got. 

__ " I am perfectly fine, Virgil. No need to worry.” Logan said, rolling his shoulders. Virgil sighed.

“Bull shit Logan, you’ve been jumpy and irritated for the past week and you're just getting worse.” Virgil put a hand on his shoulder, “Logan, we’re here for you. If it's that experiment is doing this to you then maybe you should stop-”

“I have!” Logan snarled, and Virgil felt a wave of panic wash through him at the action, “I have stopped the experiment. I can’t let something as primitive as emotions get in the way of my work. I am fine, good day.” Logan stood up and stomped away, leaving Virgil alone. Without wanting it to, his breathing sped up and his vision became spotty.

_ Shit! _

Virgil felt panic bubbling in him, and he heard a crashing sound.

_ How did I get on the floor? _

“Virgil, what was that- oh shit-” He heard a voice say, and he felt arms around him. “Virgil, breath for me, please. four in-” Virgil breathed in for four seconds, “Hold for seven-” Virgil held his breath for seven seconds, “Out for eight-” Virgil slowly breathed out. 

“Good, repeat.” Said the voice, Virgil recognizing it as Roman’s, and he did. After a couple more rounds and Roman rubbing his back, he looked up at Roman.

“Hey, thanks. Sorry about that.”

“It’s quite alright, Virgil, there is no need to apologize. May I ask what triggered your anxiety like that?” He asked. Virgil sighed and told Roman about the interaction with Logan, and Roman’s eyes darkened.

“Alright, we have to do something about this. That stubborn bastard is going to run himself into the ground.” 

Roman called all the other sides, telling him his plan for an intervention. He would get all of the sides into the same room then create a box where no one could sink out, but things could be brought in, per Janus’s request. Then, they would keep Logan there as long as they needed until he gave in or killed them all. 

Not the best plan, but they couldn’t really do anything else. 

Patton was making lunch as they shared things that they had noticed, and Janus brought up the fact he could taste lies. 

“It’s not something I can do willingly of course, but for the past week and a half Logan’s lies have tripled. He is abstaining from something regarding this experiment of his, and it sounds like it’s practically killing him.” He said, twirling his coffee mug. Remus moved his way into Janus’s lap and started to pet his hair. “He keeps telling himself he doesn’t need emotions and that he can handle everything without  _ it _ . It's absolutely infuriating!” 

“Do you know what  _ it  _ is?” Asked Patton setting down a plate full of sandwiches. Janus shook his head as Remus grabbed one and started shoveling it into his mouth. 

“No, sadly. He refuses to even acknowledge the fact that he is suffering! I hope we can get this over with quickly.” He said, accepting the sandwich that Remus handed him. 

“Well, he should come down for lunch. I’ll go get him.” Said Patton, making his way upstairs. Virgil sat and stared at the table, not wanting to move an inch. He was freaking out, the floaty feeling nearly incapacitating, and he just wanted to curl up on the couch with some of Patton’s cookies and watch cartoons again. But, he had to stay strong right now. He couldn’t afford to not be aware of everything. 

Patton came downstairs and shook his head. They all groaned. 

After a couple of hours, Patton went up to call him for dinner. When Patton came back down with a defeated look on his face Janus huffed in frustration. 

“I am going to strangle that fucking bastard. He skipped two meals just to work!” He said, leaning back. Roman sighed and shook his head.

“Okay, new plan. We all have to get up at least a couple minutes before him so we can catch him in the morning.” Roman said, leaning back. Virgil groaned and wiped a hand over his face. This was terrible! He could barely go to sleep on a normal night but he was so wrung up he doesn’t think he could even close his eyes. Patton sighed and made his way up to his room, setting his phone to wake up an hour earlier, same with Roman and Remus, but Janus stayed behind. 

Virgil didn’t want to go to his room, mainly because he knew if he did he definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep. So, instead, he sat on the couch and tried,  _ tried _ to get that floaty feeling where he could just forget everything and stop  _ fucking thinking- _

“I can practically hear you thinking,” Janus said from his spot on the couch, startling Virgil. He glanced at Janus and saw the snake-side staring at him. He fidgeted under the glance and looked away.

“Oh really? I’m honestly surprised you care at all.” He snapped, and immediately regretted it when he saw the small flash of disappointment in his eyes. Janus sighed and looked towards the hallway that held the bedrooms. 

“Ve, I am the literal personification of self-preservation. When you all are suffering it not only affects your job, which affects Thomas, but it also affects me and  _ my  _ ability to help Thomas. Logan’s spiral has caused Thomas to go into disarray, he’s overthinking everything and is having trouble rationalizing and processing reality. The sooner we get this fixed the sooner I can help Thomas.” Janus said, looking back at Virgil. Of course, Virgil knew that. Janus knew everyone’s secrets, everyone's problems. Janus had always shown up when Virgil was spiraling, even after he had left. 

Janus always tried to help them, even if they didn’t want it.

He was stubborn like that.

“Yeah, you’re right. I'm sorry- I-” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.  _ Fuck! Why couldn’t he calm down?! _

“Hey, breathe. Breathe, Virgil. It’s alright.” Janus had slid over to him and started to rub a hand on his back, and that was it. Virgil felt the last twelve hours crash onto him and he sunk into Janus’s arms, feeling tears fill his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry- I can’t do anything to- I just want to  _ help  _ but all I can do I worry and-  _ god I'm so fucking pathetic-” _

“Lie. Virgil, You are not pathetic or useless. If you were, you wouldn’t be here. But you are here, and you help us in so many ways. Honestly, if it weren't for you I think my workload would triple. You are so important, don’t let anyone tell you differently.” Janus said, stroking Virgil’s hair. Virgil clung to Janus as he felt the floaty feeling come back, and the rocking motion Janus had started made his eyes feel heavy.

He didn’t know when or how, but eventually he was lying on the couch, half cuddling with Janus as his head was petted. Virgil wanted to stay awake, but the feeling of being held and just  _ comforted  _ made his eyes slowly fall shut as he drifted off. 

He was woken up by someone shaking him and the sweet smell of coffee. When he opened his eyes he saw Janus standing over him and Remus preparing an invisibility cloak, the former holding a cup of coffee.

“Black with a shit ton of sugar, right?” Janus asked. Virgil nodded and grabbed the cup, gulping down the liquid.

“Thanks…” He said, rubbing his eyes. He saw Patton and Roman walk in, both heading to the coffee pot. Janus sat down beside him as he drank his own coffee. 

“So, when Logan gets down here, no one acknowledges him unless he does first. If he moves to the kitchen or dining area first then you all will come out and call him here. Everyone clear?” Janus said, and after everyone's grumbled agreement nodded he stared at the hallway. Suddenly, they all heard the telltale alarm that Logan had set and everyone scrambled into position. Virgil was too tired to move, so he sat on the couch, and if Logan asked why he was up he could just say he couldn’t sleep. 

When Logan came down, Virgil was taken aback. He looked like _shit_. He looked so tired and disheveled that it honestly scared him. Logan made a b-line to the coffee and poured a straight black cup before sitting down at the table and pulling out his planner. Roman, Remus and Patton moved out from underneath the invisibility cloak, and Patton cleared his voice.

“Logan?” Patton called, and Logan’s head shot up. Virgil watched as he assessed the situation, standing up with his coffee, and walking towards them.  _ Keep going, keep going. _

“Is there something wrong? We do not usually all meet unless there is an emergency.” He said, stepping into the living room. Once he was there, Roman snapped and they were all encased in a gold cube, trapping them all in the living room. Logan’s eyebrows furrowed as he set his coffee down. “Roman, what are you doing?”

“This is an intervention, my dear nerd. We may have noticed some… troubling things and, well, because you are a stubborn mule you refuse to acknowledge anything is wrong.” Roman said, sitting on the couch. The rest followed and Virgil saw Logan’s eye twitch.  _ Shit, he’s really pissed off. _

“Excuse me?”  _ shit! _ “I don’t believe I heard you correctly, do you mind repeating that?” He said, voice laced with venom. Patton reached out a hand and placed it on his arm.

“Logan, talk to us. Just tell us what is bothering you so we can help.” He said, and Logan shook Patton's arm off. 

“What is bothering me is everyone’s insistence that something is wrong!” He growled, “I am perfectly fine, now may you please remove the barrier?” Virgil felt himself shaking at Logan's harsh tone. Janus stiffened next to him.

“Bull shit Logic. I have tasted every single lie you have told for the past week and a half, and from what I can gather is that whatever you’re not doing is causing immense pain and suffering to you, and you think that you can handle it because, and I fucking quote:  _ I am Logan Logic Sanders! I can’t let something as primitive as emotions get in the way of my work! _ ” Yelled Janus, his voice morphing to sound just like Logan’s. Virgil saw Logan recoil slightly at Janus’s outburst. Janus stood up suddenly and stepped towards Logan, who hunched slightly. 

“Hand it over, I know you kept notes on your experiment or whatever you called it, and I’m going to take a wild fucking guess and say your current state is part of that,” Janus said, glaring at Logan. Virgil saw Logan's eyes fog over for a split second before he looked to the floor. 

Suddenly, Logan’s posture deflated and he looked up at…  _ Why is he looking at me?!?! _

“Virgil, I would like to apologize.”  _ what? _

“Don’t change the subject-”

“I am not, I am just clarifying something that was miscommunicated earlier. Yesterday, I said that I had stopped the experiment. While part of that statement is correct, the other half is wrong.” _What- oh shit,_ “In reality, I continued the experiment by stopping my testing. I apologize for that, and I... assume this is where I share my… experiment with you all...” Logan trailed off, summoning a stack of papers and looking at it with the most emotion Virgil had ever seen the other express. 

“Now, before I give these to you, I please ask you to have an open mind. This is very…” Logan paused, and Virgil felt a wave of fear come off the logical side.  _ What the hell is in that document that has him so scared?!  _ “... personal, to me.” He finished, looking up at all of them. Janus’s posture softened.

“We promise. This is personal, and we understand your hesitance.” Janus said, and suddenly Logan’s entire demeanor changed. Logan pushed the paper into Janus’s arms then collapsed onto his usual spot on the couch, curling up into a ball. He looked so… not Logan. Janus made copies of the document before handing them out to the rest of them. 

Virgil looked down at the document.  **_Experiment #L1773._ ** The first page seemed to be… some sort of time log documenting different times he-  _ is this fucking serious!?!? _

“What's this, a time log?” asked Remus from beside him. Logan nodded.

“When I first started experiencing… this, I documented every time I felt this sensation happen. It took me about three weeks to recognize a pattern and create an experiment regarding what I was experiencing. It’s all right there… including my research from the video we are going to do…” He trailed off, studying them as they all read. 

Virgil was… confused. The stuff the Logan was documenting was… _ normal _ . Virgil felt it all the time when he got really anxious or stressed or- Oh shit.  _ Shitshitshitshitshit. _

_ If Logan was doing an experiment about it then it's not normal. _

_ Fuck. _

Virgil felt a jolt as he continued reading. He realized that, yes, the floaty feeling could also be described as fuzzy and make him feel soft. All of the things that Logan had experimented with, the water bottle, the pillow, everything, also made the floaty feeling Virgil had been pushing away stronger. 

What completely floored Virgil, though, was the last page.

_ Age Regression. _

_ Age Regression was  _ _ when someone reverts to a younger state of mind, usually early childhood or infancy. It is used as a therapy technique for people with mental illnesses like Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, and other stress-related disorders. It was also a self-soother for people who dealt with immense amounts of stress on a daily basis and was a healthy, safe, and completely normal way of dealing with mental illness. _

_ It was an unconscious defense mechanism used to not only protect the self from trauma or stress but also to relieve stress and heal. _

That… made sense. 

If Virgil thought really hard about it, It made sense. 

Virgil was the personification of Anxiety, so it made a whole lot of sense for this to be a coping mechanism that he formed with. 

And really, if he was being honest, the thought of sippy cups and toys made his heart flutter excitedly. 

But… the last couple of sentences nearly made Virgil cry. 

_ Although this is a perfectly valid and healthy way to deal with stress, anxiety, and other mental illness, I refuse to believe this is what I have been experiencing. I will cease further testing. It will not harm me to stop indulging in the feeling, because I am not a child. It is not repression if I am not an Age Regressor, therefore I will be completely unharmed.  _

That… hurt. 

A lot. 

Virgil knew how unhealthy repression can be, and so did Logan! He must have seen this coming! 

_ Lo was such an idiot! _

“I can see that everyone has finished reading, so I’m going to get this out of the way,” Remus said, drawing Virgil’s attention. Virgil saw anger dance across his face.  _ Shit! If anyone would get angry about repression it was Remus! _

“I regress-”  _ what- _ “-so I know  _ exactly  _ what you are going through, BUT-” Virgil flinched, and so did Logan. Remus sighed and his eyes softened a bit. “- but just because you should be able to deal with things alone doesn't mean you can. My mental state was so absolutely shit before I found my little space, and it has made living with a constant flow of disturbing and downright terrible thoughts going through my head 24/7 bearable. I am an adult and I do very adult things- Jan knows this  _ very _ well -” Janus and Roman made a strangled noise, _ he did not need that image  _ “-But sometimes adult things are too much to handle, and that's okay. This is okay.” He said, reaching out and placing his hand on Logan's leg. 

Virgil saw Logan's eyes get glossy, his lips quivered and a small tear rolled down his face. Virgil was trying not to cry too.  _ Remus does it too, Virgil had- It was normal and good- he could- Re could be his- Lo could- _

Janus sighed, taking off his gloves and hat. 

“Remus is right, but what isn’t right is the illogical way you are thinking about it,” Janus said, and Virgil could almost hear the windows error sound coming from Logan.

“Wh-wha-” Logan stuttered, obviously caught off guard. 

“Logan, why were you given emotions if they were not beneficial to your productivity as Logic or to Thomas?”

Virgil could have laughed at the face Logan pulled if it weren't for his eyes. They were shifting between soft and foggy to hard and glassy. Virgil fought the  _ intense  _ urge to go up and hug him.

“Logan, repressing this kind of stuff is beyond dangerous, and it needs to be talked about. Even if you can’t form a coherent thought or a single sentence, we need to hear from you.” 

All of Logan’s walls went back up. He stiffened and averted his gaze, trying to curl in on himself while keeping as still as possible. Virgil recognized it as something he used to do when everything was becoming too much and he couldn’t handle it.

Patton noticed it as well, jumping onto the floor in front of Logan and placing a hand on his knee, looking up at him with an expression quite familiar to Virgil. Patton always looked at him like that when he was having a bad day, and it never failed to make him relax. 

Suddenly, Logan burst into hysterical sobs. Everyone stared in shock as he cried.

“I- I’m supposed to be smart and-and-and be serious but-but-I won’t be if I’m a baby!” Logan’s voice became high pitched and almost childlike. Janus shared a knowing look with Remus and then nodded at Patton. “I can’t- if ‘m small no’one ‘ll take me seriously or listen to me an’ ‘ll be useless-” 

Virgil watched as Logan’s form suddenly shifted into that of a small child, 1-year-old at the most, and he fell into Patton's arms, wailing. Patton started shushing and cooing, rubbing his back. Virgil felt his own headspace begin to shift, but he fought it because  _ he needed to be here for everyone. _

“There he goes, I really wish he could have experienced a voluntary slip but at least he’s letting it out,” Janus said, putting his gloves and hat back on. Logan sniffed and looked up at Patton, eyes wide and glossy. He brought a thumb up to his mouth and Roman jumped off the couch, startling Virgil. 

“Uh-uh, little prince,” _ Shit that's fucking adorable- I wanna be a lil prince-  _ “that's yucky. I made this for you instead,” Roman held out a galaxy themed pacifier with a little plastic star that had glitter and water in it. Virgil felt a small twinge of jealousy when they laughed at Lo’s grabby hands, bringing his sleeve up to his mouth hoping it would go away. Logan’s head dropped against Patton’s chest, who nearly melted.

“Oh god, he’s so tiny! Does this usually happen?” He asked, Looking up at Janus and Remus, the latter sitting on Janus’s lap.

“Always. Because we are metaphysical beings when we have a state of mind that changes, our physical form changes along with that.” Janus said, twirling one of the many fringes on Remus’s clothes. Roman nodded then looked up to his brother.

“How old do you think the little prince is right now?” 

“Oh, I would say 1 at the oldest. He repressed it for so long I'm honestly surprised he’s this big. When I regress involuntarily I’m usually 10 months or younger.” Remus replied, wrapping an arm around Janus’s neck. Virgil felt conflicted about his next question. 

He was, at least 95% sure, that he also regressed. 

But…

What if… he didn’t? 

What if it was something else?

What if after he asked this question they thought he was just trying to get attention? 

_ But I wan’ Ro to make me stuff too! _

But what if-

_ Hugs! Cuddles! Bedtime stories!  _

__ But-

_Stuffies! Toys! Cuddles!_

Fuck it.

“Um hi, quick question. How did you know… like… did you come across it like Logan did or..?” He stumbled out, hoping his face didn’t look as hot as it felt. Remus perked up.

“Oh are you asking how I knew I regressed?” He asked, And Virgil nodded hesitantly. “Well, I would just kinda, do it involuntarily at first. And then Jan walked in on me once and helped me, afterwards we talked and just kinda figured it out after 5 minutes on google. He’s been my caregiver ever since.” He said, leaning his head against Janus’ shoulder, who’s face flushed slightly. Virgil looked towards the floor and stared hard, trying to keep his head clear. 

_ Shit. _

_ I Age Regress. _

_ Fuck… _

_ What now? _

He heard a sudden gasp and looked up at Patton, who was staring down at Little Lo with wide and excited eyes.

“Do you think Lo will let me be his Papa? Oh god, I would die-”

_ P- papa? Papa… Pat? _

He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he looked up he was met with the warm eyes of Roman.

“Virgil, are you alright?” He asked, and Virgil felt himself slipping fast and hard. He was meet with everything he wanted: comfort, companionship, hugs,  _ cuddles, stuffies, snacks, toys- _

He wouldn’t get any of that if he didn’t  _ tell them _ .

But fuck, take a wild guess, he was pretty anxious about it. 

_ But Ro can make stuffies! _

“Um- I might-”  _ breathe  _ “I mean-”  _ just say it, _ “I think I’ve been- Is that what that is?” He stumbles out, looking at all of them. They all had wide and surprised eyes. He took a shaky breath and continued. “What I feel after a really bad anxiety or panic attack, is- is that what happens to me?” His voice became small and quiet towards the end, and he worried his lip between his teeth.

He hopes they understand the true meaning behind his words.  _ I think I Age Regress.  _ He made eye contact with Roman, who’s eyes were soft and welcoming. He felt the hand on his back start rubbing in circles.

“Wait, Virgil, do you mean-”

“BABY BRO’DER!” Remus shouted and suddenly he was smothered in a Little Remus. He was knocked back and, in a split second of ‘ _ oh fuck it, why not?’, _ He let the feeling he had been pushing away since yesterday submerge him completely. He felt his form change and suddenly, the body on top of him was  _ heavy _ .

“O-ow hey!” He said, struggling against the body on top of him. “ ‘et go! Roro! Jany!” He called out, hoping one of the others would get Re off. 

“Now now Chephy,” The weight was lifted off him slightly, “Let Virgil go and we can get some juice for you and some warm vanilla milk for little Lo in the kitchen.” Virgil sat up as the weight was suddenly lifted off of him. He looked around and saw Ro with his arms outstretched. He jumped in immediately.

“Mkay! I wan’ orange!” 

Virgil buried his head in Ro’s chest, nearly in tears at how  _ good touch felt my god why didn’t he do this before? _

“You alright, little one?” Asked Ro, and Virgils felt a hand rubbing his back. Virgil nodded his head and sniffled. “Are you sure?”

“Mhm, ‘m happie.” He said, blinking away the tears. Roman looked at him with a shocked expression before his face split into a wide grin.

“Well, little prince, I think you need some presents! What would you like?” He said, and Virgil had to think about it. He liked the Paci Lo got, but he didn’t want a space one. He liked bats and spiders. 

“Hmmmmm… paci? Not like Lo’s tho, want one like…” Virgil searched for a word, but was having a bit more trouble than usual, “uhhhh, m’ room?” he said, hoping Ro understood. 

Ro nodded, and suddenly he was holding a black and purple paci, the base had spider webs and there was a little spider charm in the middle. But, what made him squeal in happiness was the word  _ Spoopy  _ on the handle surrounded by little black and purple gemstones. 

“You like it?” Roman asked, and Virgil responded by shoving it in his mouth and smiling wide. “I’m taking that as a yes.” Roman laughed, and Virgil collapsed back into his arms. 

_ God he was such an idiot, hugs are AWESOME. _

_ Ro’s hugs are nice. _

“Ba’?” Virgil asks through his paci, already knowing that Ro was totally going to spoil him. And Virgil was correct because he saw Ro summon the most amazing looking bat stuffie without even a second thought.

_ Yay!!! _

“JanJan! JanJan!” Virgil looked up to see Re standing in the living room again, calling to Jan who had handed a bottle to Pat, who was holding Lo in a soft-looking space onesie. “I wanna play! Can I play with Virgie?!” He practically yelled, and Virgil perked up at that. He looked at Ro with pleading eyes and got a smiling nod in return. 

“Yes, just ask Roman if  Virgil is big enough to, remember it's his first time voluntarily so he might be a little scared-” 

“I knowwww.” Remus ran up to Virgil, eyes sparkling at the bat stuffie, “Ohhh wha’s their name?” Remus asked. Virgil looked down at the bat and thought hard about her name, smiling around his paci when it came to him. 

_ Ruby _ !

“Ruby!” He said, hugging the bat. Re smiled and summoned a green octopus stuffie.

“Can Ruby and Oswald play wit us?” Re asked, and Virgil nodded. Virgil ignored Jan’s comment about Re summoning things while regressed, and soon he and Re were playing together while a national-geographic documentary was playing on tv. 

Roman, of course, spoiled Virgil rotten. Virgil got at least four new outfits, multiple spooky-themed sippy cups, and a Nightmare Before Christmas blanket that was so unbelievably soft. 

After playing for a while, Re had somehow gotten absolutely filthy and sticky, so Jan took him to get a bath. Virgil didn’t want to stop playing, but watching Monster High while cuddling Ro and Ruby was very tempting, and oh  _ boy _ was it nice.

Virgil felt his eyes grow heavy, cuddling up against Roman more. 

He didn’t see Roman looking at him with the most adoring look on his face, nor did he see Janus chuckle when he re-entered the room to find not only Patton and Little Logan asleep but a sleeping Virgil on top of a very teary-eyed prince.

What Virgil did know, however, was that this was  _ exactly _ what he was missing.

And he was never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually so excited for this one!!! I was debating whether or not to actually post this, but after rereading it and editing it a couple of times, I'm super proud of it! Monster High is one of my favorite cartoons from when I was a kid so I might be projecting a tad bit. Anyhoo, I'm thinking about doing a Remus-centric one next (angst? on my page? more likely then you think) so be on the lookout for that???  
> Anyway, thank you for reading!  
> Stay safe and stay lovely! <3


End file.
